The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-05-14
CHINESE ART.

80 ----7--.----.
CHINESE ART
Fs. ,al'}l; - - lisI,3 n,
The Motives That Give 1t Such
Sf Odd 'Chara cteristics.
Il & 4, .-- lS5. K
VA A short time ngo the British Museum
acquired q comprehensive collection OF
Japanese and Chinese pictures, made BY
MI. William Anderson, for some years
medical officer TO the British legation In
Toxic.
Amongst the motives Of tho artists Of
China and Japan, mythical zoology hold
a very important place, says MIR. Andcr-
son. The Chinese have developed myth.
ical zoology to a greater extent than
any other nation. "Their literature teens
with strange conccits, some OF which up,
pear 10 be transcripts Of local folk lore
others appertain to Buddhism or Taoistic
,eccnds md o,hcrs nrc ncccnted no sohor
t.e,s - n.,,..I t,.,ax.. " : Tn..s ~.
i"e'e =. -, n"."' u ,''e'os. : neso na,e
Almost al oeeh adop1ea anu improved IN
treatment by tho japanese.
Among the MYTHS that afford fayoritc
subjects ! q Tho native nrt;sts oro c,on,s
I,msrf, ,r.....I 80.
uu"M,ot p','otHt'u ''''' WV "'e 'oh'
Vcyea ABOUT ny coollcs ny means OF poles
put through holes which conveniently
ex;s. In their bodies for this purpose. !
s,omachlcss mon who I, according n
.,a,v1.s ha,,of a., ,.m..,, s..e,,
pop""' o ,,s u".1vss '"'sn 49, s"'!
nave no sues 10 ao'd = men Win enor-
mously long legs, and those with SINH,
larly long arms; men with tails, who
carefully dip holes where5 thcy sit IN
Enrd.r ~ nro,,;J, . roo.n,oh,o r...L.
~, W pto'S' /" iss,p'"o'o ~. nv "p'
pchoasc; anu many o.her eS'eaoruinary
beings, all ofiwlich are truthfully de-,
scribcd, from Chinese works or authority
and rcnute in tho great Janancse encv.
,.,..ma;. M, O.. O.: ~. &
eN ", - l'' 9'a,go.
men .tnete are Deings VINO Genuine
WIN human ciemehts parts Ehaturally
appertainlhe 70 INC lower ahlmals-such
are ieathereu men th0se Win human
faces, put inc wings and Deak OF Dlrd
mefmeh, VINO nave human shcaas and
arms attachea 10 INC Dody OF nsh anu
learn INC secrets OF inc aeep from Inc
mIrmufing hoilow OF Inc Conchilcr. 10
this sectlon also belongs the vampire
Drloc, VINO lures men 10 her deadly en-
braces I'll she has drained away their.
lie. DlOOu. - 4 e. FIE 1...I
Inc tiser Is classed IN .Chinese mythol-:
oey Us one OF inc supernatural animals,
inc King OF beasts, and the representative
OF the masculine or active principle OF
nature. II attalhs inc age Oh thousand
years: ana alter passing the nail OIL TINS
Term lis mar becomes WINE. ~ IS some
times seen IN assoclatioh WIN inc dragon
apparently as ING emblem OF the
power OF ialln. IL IS also regarded 3as
inc type OF wisdom. me 1oX,
again. is the demon OF e mlschief,
WIN me poWerro OF changing ms shape
NJ VIII, put ever WIN some eVi! design on
inc comfort oil mankind; v hen , he
reaches the. age OF nifty, Mr..Anderson
.clls us, ne Is aDlc 10 accomplish NJ Will
MS most lavorltc and banciul metamor-
pnosls INTO .lhe resemblance OF woman
kiha a. hundred nc can take ttie shape
ei!her OF young anu 0eaulhul gil, or
OF WIZARD strohg III al INC powers OF
magic; ana Whcn nc reaches the Term OF
thousand years nc; becomes Celestial
foS, characterized ny colder, color
anu hlhe laiis, anu may, NC aamlttcd
10 heaven. nut II appears nc does not
always avail himseli OF TINS privilege, Tor
inc possession OF inc extra tailsi only
gives nm an augmented cunning capac-
NY lot wlckedness: inc tortoise also
attaihs q ousiongeVlty, anu IS var
lousy represented as inc embodiment
OF a star IN ursa Major, and as a
descendant OF the %1lrst dragon. In
tiindoo mythology the tortoise sup
ports the elephant, which supports
the world IN japanese art IT is
represented as bearing on Its back the
mountain abode OF the 'mmorinls. The
horse is also associated with Longevity,
ana ~ IS sun popular. belief that the
female IS delivered OF Its progeny through
the mouth: Inc cranels one OF the COM
m N, hgures IN Japanese art; in
Chinese' mythical 4zoologyithere are four
varieties. distinguished by their colors;
they all live to a fabulous age, aud after
completing G0O years are superior to the
necessity OF other s.stcnance than water.
Other iavorite subjects Of oriental mr.
lists are serpents 800 feet long, which de-
YOUR elephants; ninc.tailcd foxes; the
four-carcd monkey which heraids the del
ugc: the fish with, ten bodies and one
head; the dragon, which, according to
the japanese encyclopaedia already, men:
toned, has the head Of camel; the horns
OF deer, the eyes :of q demon, the ears
oftan OK, the body:of aserpent, the scales
ofia carp, andathe claws Of an eagle.
1t Is the most familiar object in the
art of China and Japan, 1t Is treated by
writer's OF the last +centuYy,as really ex-
listing. 1t becomes at will, according to
q Chinese author. of the seventh century
BIC, reduced to the size of a silkworm,
or swollen till 1t fills the space of Heaven
and earth. The KILN or kirin, '"the noblcst
form of the animal creation, and IN en-
blcm of perfect good," also belongs
to this class of composite monsters. 1t
has the body of deer, the 3 tail of
mn Z OK, and "a single horn, SO
that 1t resembles the unicorn. 4 The